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Majorca is great..well worth a visit

I love Majorca!

Having been to Majorca 10 times in total since the age of 2 i think its safe to say i have come to love it. I never had a choice of where we went on holiday when i was a child but i am glad my parents opted for Majorca every year or every second year sometimes if money was very tight.

Majorca is part of the Balearic Islands in Mediterranean Sea and is classed as part of Spain. It is very popular with holiday makers due to the extensive choice of beaches and stunning coastline.

My 1st trip to Majorca at the young age of 2 was my 1st time of a plane and i loved it or so my parents have told me. We stayed in Torrenova which is between Palma Nova & Magaluf. Since this holiday i have been to Majorca a further 9 times and my parents opted to stay in the same area. The majority of the time we went half board but occasionally self catering so we could go at our own pace. I personally dont want to go on holiday to slave over a cooker!

Having only stayed in the Palma Nova area i will mainly concentrate on this. The beaches are stunning and the crystal blue waters are enticing to say the least. There is a choice of restaurants and cafes to suit all tastes and appetites & the shops are brilliant. Much to mine and my mums amusement there is lots of perfume shops!

Nightlife in the Palma Nova area is quiet compared to nearby Magaluf. Magaluf has a busy nightlife where party goers flock to the famous BCM disco whereas Palma Nova has more family orientated bars open til late.

Trips can normally be arranged through your holiday rep though there is a regular bus service which can take you to various places. I recommend several trips if there for 2weeks

Palma - the capital of the Island, this city never fails to enchanten me. The Palma market is well worth a visit as it the famous Palma CathedralPorti Pi Central - a huge shopping mall just on the outskirts of Palma, it has a cinema, lots of shops and an amazing supermarket. Try the sweet shop and pizza parlour!Glass bottom boat tour - departing from the Santa Lucia area of Palma Nova, this boat tour takes you around the coastlineAquarpark - this huge water park in Magaluf is a must for all ages

There are so many things to do and see that i could be here all day telling you but will let you find the rest out for yourselves.

I love Majorca so much that as my 1st holiday without my parents and with my own little family, we are going in October 2010 for 2weeks all inclusive to the Hotel Palma Nova and i cannot wait!

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A lovely, sunny, Spanish island only just over two hours away.

Mallorca is one of five islands called the Balearics, the other four being-Ibiza, Menorca, Formentera and Cabrera.They are situated just off Spain , you can take ferries from Barcelona or Valencia to Mallorca.The flight lasts approx two hours and fifteen minutes from Britain.

Me and Mallorca-~~~~~~~~~~Any one having read my previous review (sadly in the wrong category), will know of my Love for the island of Mallorca and the fact my Sister has a house not far from the old town of Pollenca so enabling us to visit quite regularly (not regularly enough though, Ive even considered "squatters rights" but don't know if they exsist in Mallorca).I will give you a brief look at most of the island and a deeper look at places I visit regularly.

The main rainy months are November and December, but you can experience heavy showers in September and October and again in March.The quieter months are- May, June, September and October if you wish to avoid the crowds.

Many beach resorts close during the winter, but Mallorca still attracts many people for a city break in Palma or walking holidays especially with those mountains on offer, golfing holidays , bird watchers, and of course not forgetting the many cyclists, in fact May last year the British indoor cycle team had a training camp on Mallorca and it obviously worked looking at our medal tally in last years Olympics. They regularly featured in the local newspapers and it seemed Mallorca was proud to have been a part of our success.

Airport-~~~~~The Son Sant Joan airport is situated in the capital Palma and is a fabulous airport there is so much to see and buy, even if you are delayed there is plenty to occupy most people.It has grown to be one of the busiest in Europe from June to September, handling more than 20 million passengers in a year.One problem it does cause is, its such a massive airport you can have a very long walk to certain gates, they do provide moving walkways but its still a long "trek".

Magaluf-~~~~~Situated West of Palma- Magaluf is the one place that can "put some people off" visiting Mallorca but lets face it every island has at least one town that attracts the young "letting their hair down", that was very diplomatically put I think.In the 1990s Magaluf did alot to shed this image by destroying some high rise hotels and building a new seafront promenade and offering guided walks(with no alcohol involved) and Tai Chi on the beach, but still the "Beer Monsters" come- my advice- simples avoid Magaluf.

West of Palma-~~~~~~~~~

The west side of Mallorca offers, beautiful beaches, bustling resorts and a rugged coastline and some fine mountain scenery. New building is very strictly regulated and sympathetic to the local environment. In fact some hotels deemed "ugly" were pulled down and replaced by palm fringed promenades.Alot of the rich and famous have houses in this area including-King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, in Cala Major.Saying that you can still find traditional Majorcan villages such as Puigpunyent.Popular places-

Andratx- surrounded by orange and almond groves.

Port D'Andratx- one of the classiest resorts, popular with film stars and people who own yacht's, dress up if your visiting. Its harbour is one of the prettiest on the island.

Calvia- known for its beaches and the fact its now said to be the richest municipality in Spain.

La Reserva- a nature reserve that calls itself" Mallorca's Paradise".

Magaluf- enough said before.

Palma Nova(new Palma)- a good place for a family holiday.

Santa Ponca- a good beach resort, but rich with history.

Northwest-~~~~~~~Along the northwest coast of the island from Sa Dragonera to Cape Formentor is the Tramuntana mountain range therefore attracting many mountain climbers and walkers with its dramatic wild landscape which is visible from all over Mallorca.Puig Major rises to 1,455m (4,749ft).You can smell the scent of wild rosemary and see the pine trees growing out of red rock, some of the pine covered slopes almost lean into the sea. In the background you can hear the sheep" bells" as they munch their way around the slopes.In the winter the mountains absorb much of the rain and snow and in the summer offer a cooler retreat from the heat of some of the resorts.Tourism is the main income in this area.

Cala Sant Vincenc- my favourite beaches. Its an old fashioned resort thats become chic of late, but still attracts alot of Mallorcans especially weekends and holidays so be warned it can be very busy but try not to miss it.Made up of four small coves each with a beach nestled away beneath a limestone ridge, the sea can be particulary wild here with massive waves to play in and they have a safety net that you are not allowed to go in front of, infact they have life guards on duty and if anyone steps out of line, a siren sounds.You can also jump off the cliffs into the sea if you are crazy enough like my other half and 13 year old son.

Jardins De Alfabia-classical gardens are a legacy of the Arab talent for landscaping and irrigation their name derives from "al fabi"- " jar of olives" in Arabic. You can see tall palms, lily ponds, bamboo groves or citrus trees growing in the shadow of the mountains.

Lluc-Alcari- Mallorcas smallest village which is little more than a bend in the road, with a few houses, but it does boast one hotel.

Pollenca- the old town, one of my favourite or probably my favourite town to date, Im not going to repeat myself here and bore you, I have a detailed description in my other review "Come hold my hand and we can take a trip to Mallorca". Port De Pollenca is also mentioned in the above review.

Soller-~~~~Set in a valley of orange groves, between the sea and the mountains, its popular for day trips, to eat tapas, drink coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice, eat local pastries and icecream and generally watch the world go by.It also boasts two museums worth a visit- Natural Science Museum-fossils and a botanical garden. Museu de Soller-antiques and relics of old Soller.

Valldemossa- a small town in the mountains that has a strong conection to Chopin who came to live here with his male lover in 1838. They were classed as the islands first tourists. Its also the birth place of Mallorca's patron saint Catalina Thomas in 1531.Its renowned for its beauty and I cant wait to see it for myself hopefully next time I go.

The Northeast-~~~~~~~~~This coastline has what most people believe to be the best beaches. Alongside the historic town of Alcudia and the dunes and marches, which attract bird watchers from all over Europe, we have the Port d'Alcudia quite a lively town with its fair share of night clubs.

Alcudia- the town on the hill- the old town is a maze of narrow streets, it was once the Romans capital Pollentia, you can have a walk around the remains of Roman houses and witness the well preserved Roman ampitheatre and one of Mallorcas oldest churches.

Auto-Safari (safari-zoo)- Mallorca's only zoo is a 4km drive(2.5mile) through the open country to see Giraffes, Zebra, Flamingos, Monkeys and Deer. Leading to a "baby zoo"- Crocodiles, Elephants and various young animals. Its very expensive though.

South-~~~~Hosts the rural heartlands of the island, this area is untouched by tourist invasion and its mainly an agricultural area, February each year boasts a blanket of white almond blossom carpeting the countryside and really is a sight to behold. With its patchwork of orchards and almond groves the area is attracting foreign buyers and some country hotels have sprung up.

On the southeast coast there are busy resorts such as Cala d'Or.Porto Cristo is on the east coast., with the coastline being so rugged some beaches can only be reached by boat.

Palma itself, again I covered in my previous review.

I hope I have given you a comprehensive view of Mallorca and what it has to offer, obviously I can't cover the whole island or we would be here all night. I wanted to show you how much is on offer, something for everyone I think and its still got lots to offer in the winter months.

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Everybody must go to Majorca/ Mallorca..... its great fun no matter how old or young you are!!!

Majorca - aka Mallorca. Located in the Mediterranean Sea off south east coast of Spain. It usually takes about 2 to 2.5 hrs flying time from UK airports.

Its an ideal getaway for a little sun and loads of fun - no matter what you're after.... whether its a drunken holiday with friends, a romantic getaway with your lover or a fun packed family holiday.

Of course, how much you enjoy the entire trip is dependant on which hotel you stay in.... so check out a few of my other reviews for hotels that I worked in whilst out there, to give an unbiased review of the hotels. There is plenty to see and do on the island, from pub crawls, boat trips, water parks, site seeing, bike rides, visiting historical landmarks and lots more to suit everybodies taste no matter what you are in to....

The airport (Son Sant Joan) is located just outside Palma, also the Capital of Majorca.

The locals speak Spanish and Catalan , but with a fantastic understanding of English and German. Although most understand English exceptionally well, they do appreciate their visitors to attempt to a little Spanish - so the occasional Hola, Gracias, Buenos Dias etc will certainly put you in good stead with the locals.

The currency in Euros and there are plenty of bureau de change shops & offices in the tourist resorts offering a reasonable exchange rate.

The weather in Majorca is a typical mediterranean climate - with mild rainy winters and warm sunny summers. The typical tourist seasons start about March time until usually October time. The temperature usually peaks at about 29' C (83'F) in July / Aug time.

A lot of Majorcan cuisine will include olives and almonds, as the island is famous for them... and with an amazing 4 million almond & olive trees - its no wonder! When your there to really taste the majorcan culture - try a local meal - Sobrassada - which is saffron rice cooked with chicken, pork and veg - not to everyones taste, but it is nice if you like that sort of thing!

And for the fussy eaters - you will find they do have a wide range of english, italian, irish restaurants & bars and plenty of fast food places too - including mcdonalds, kfc etc.... and also chippy shops and kebab takeaways too! Usually beers supplied in the resorts are San Miguel, Cruzcampo, estell damm - and all are lovely and must be tried.... but they do also have all the famous brands too!

One little trick which many bars do over there, is serve cheap cola to children and also as mixers - so if like me, you only like the good stuff - coke a cola - make sure you specify when ordering your drinks....I hope I have covered most things - if I think of anything else I'll be sure to add to this.....

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Great for shopping but don't get lost.

Palma on the Island of Majorca is a great place for shopping and doing a bit of sight seeing.

We were staying in Palma Nova and being past the age when drinking all day in pubs and clubs, then flaking out on the beach seems a good way to spend a holiday, decided to find some 'civilized' life for a change.

There are buses from all round the Island into Palma. The City itself is big. Everything is so spread out in the modern part and we found ourselves walking a long way to find major department stores and designer shops on the main road. However, we eventually found a wonderful shopping area in the old Arab Quarter of the City.

This area is a maze of alleyways and small shops of all kinds. There are designer shops selling everything from shoes to hair accessories and woolly jumpers to delicate lingerie. It is very easy to get carried away here and I don't mean just by the shopping experience.

In among the alleyways there are a series of squares surrounded by cafes, restaurants and entertainers. Each time we arrived at one of these places the experience was a slower, more relaxed one. It was a real pleasure to sit at a table outside a café and watch what was happening in the square. We saw a 'living statue' which amused everyone by touching ladies with a stick after they had passed him. It was really funny as most were shocked and spun around to see who had done it. The ones who objected were even funnier though.

There were musicians of all kinds and we were even treated to a wedding procession making its way to the Cathedral, accompanied by a band.

Then it was back to the shopping. It is very easy to get lost here as the alleyways are rather like the Medinas in many Arab cities and we did get a little worried because we ended up in a part of the Quarter where there were no shops and we couldn't seem to find our way out. A glimpse of the sea led us out onto the seafront again, though.

This Quarter is not a safe area for tourists as it is easy to get lost. The advice we were given (after the event) was to look down alleyways and if there are no shops do not go down them. We did hear of several people being robbed in this area. However, if you stick to the rules it is a fabulous experience.

Palma Cathedral is huge. It is a must see if you are in the city but I found it quite commercialised because you had to pay for just about everything and access to much of it was closed off. A trip on an open topped bus was the easiest way to see the sites and the array of liners and very expensive yachts in the harbour was something quite awesome.

Palma is also where the old 1912 Wooden Train to Soller is based. A trip on this train will take you over the mountains to the north of the Island. This is a worthwhile experience.

All buses stop around the railway station area which is easily accessible from the town centre, so the shops and sights of La Palma are easy and convenient to get to no matter where you are on Majorca.

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I want to go back!

I've just got back from Majorca for a weeks holiday with four friends. And we loved it.

The currency is Euro's so very easy to handle. Language is Spanish so as long as you know Gracias you will be fine! Weather was beatufil (in September). Very hot and sunny. A few days were overcast which made it a bit muggy but was still just lovely.

We stayed in the resort of Palma Nova on the south coast, about ten minutes walk away from Magalluf. We stayed in a self-catering hotel / apartments which were a perfect location for what we wanted out of our holiday. It was a family based hotel (as opposed to an 18-30's type thing) so there were a lot of children which was very nice as we didn't encounter late night lager louts of any sort.

We did venture into Magalluf a couple of evenings of the week for a few drinks. Various types of bars, reasonable prices and places you could have a boogie or even listen to a band.

The beach was around 100 metres away from our hotel. It was stunning. I was not expecting that sort of beach in Majorca. Crystal clear waters which we snorkled with the local fish, velvet sands, pedlo's a planty and boat trips if needed. We spent more days than planned at the beach as it was just so beautiful.

There is the oppurtunity to go to the water parks, there are two main ones near Magaluf which you can either walk to, grab a taxi or even a local bus will take you right there.

There is also go-karting, crazy golf and arcades.

The food was wonderful, steaks, pizzas, seafood. You name it they had it. We ate out most nights and drank in many bars.

I'd definately recommend Majorca to people of any age. If your looking for a drunken holiday with your mates, head for Magalluf town centre, a slightly more relaxed holiday, stay in Palma Nova when you can pop into Magalluf at any time - but your far enough away that it doesn't intrude on your holiday.

Enjoy!

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A great resort and a great bar.

Cala Millor has changed a bit in the 30 years since we have been there on honeymoon. Although much larger and more developed since '78 i't well worth a visit or stay. We spent a week in the little known hotel Porto Fishio - great accomodation but exclusive and hard to find. Almost a secret!"The" place to eat or just lay back chillin with a drink is The Oxford Blue. It's relaxed and welcoming and does great food to. The couple who run it are Steve and Fiona and they will make young and old feel right at home. The bar has the usual big screen but it also has the Wii great for the kids (dads to). It's nicely placed to, just back from the manic hustle and bustle of the front but close to all the emenities of Calor Millor.Give it a try - as Arnold would say "i'll be back"

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Great holiday destination, memorable island

Mallorca or Majorca? What's the answer.

Well, when you first get there you think that it doesnt really matter but for the record , Majorca is a name visitors have given this absolutely beautiful Mediterranean island. Locals call it Mallorca, they live the Mallorcan lifestyle.

It's the largest of the Balearic islands, 200 km south of Barcelona, off the east coast of Spain.

So now you know where it is, you will want to know why you should go there. For us, we were eagerly awaiting our first-ever cruise and the offer of a week-stay on Majorca, before that experience, was too good to pass up.

Tony Kellys The AA Pocket Guide MALLORCA, was my bible. For months Id read it and absorbed so much information, planned to visit what looked like exciting and interesting places, diverse activities and historic sites. So, this is my story but have to say I was well versed by the expert before I ever set foot on the island.

I had some perception of the neat week ahead but it is fair to say I had no idea I was going to be so excited by the warmth of the weather in October, the sheer gobsmacking scenery as we explored the island via the Soller Train, underground in the Coves del Drac (Caves of Drach), the huge, fascinating Inca Market, an Oktoberfest in Peguera, Mini-golf at the truly beautiful Golf Fantasia in Palma Nova and strolling along a clean, sandy beach at sunset. Oh, must not forget the delightful, tasty drinks, great food and hospitality!

Majorca is devine. It is obviously highly motivated by tourism, and in some parts of the island this brings criticism for being a bit tatty, but for me, October did not show this as much as it may for height of summer holiday-makers. In fact, we stayed in Magalluf which, along with Palma Nova, is probably the main area of tatty criticism but we did not find it to be so, the shops were themed around the beach, souvenirs and jewellery, with lots of café, bars and restaurants as you walk around but whether you shop or not is up to you. We did a couple of strolls around the shops both day and night but most of our time was spent traveling all over the island, taking in sites, sounds and new experiences.

And there were plenty of them.

Its hard for me to pick out one highlight. So Ive put all my subjects into a hat and picked them out randomly. They all get equal billing in my view. Ive not looked to see if any of them are a separate subject to review so will keep them all shorter and at some time in the future theres a chance some may be fully reviewed by me! Including them here just helps to give you a bit of an idea why Majorca should feature as your next holiday destination.

PIRATES show and dinner.This is the most exciting, thrilling, expertly presented dinner/show Ive ever seen in my life. Its been a national and international success, winning awards for many years. Its a bit of a dual between goody and baddy pirates with the audience involved along the way. Gymnastics, acrobatics and high streamer/wire work, what a grand performance. Can you imagine one pirate standing with feet flat on the floor and another pirate upside-down on his shoulders: the two of them only joined by shoulders ....if this was not spine-chilling enough the one on the floor walked around the stage with his mate finely balanced on his shoulders. I was expecting them to join hands at least. No, only shoulders to connect them. At the finale they did similar and the bottom pirate walked UP a string/rope wall! Words cannot describe the utter disbelief I felt that such a feat was possible. My only disappointment here was that it was quite expensive to go to the show and the dinner part of it let the evening down, in my opinion and that of some others around us.

THE COVES DEL DRAC tourIts pitch black, deadly quiet and a little light comes on to the right of the underground lake before you. Violin sounds quietly come across the blackness ....lights increase as a little boat moves towards you, there is a violin quartet aboard, playing haunting, beautiful music on Lake Martel in the Caves of Drach..... the Dragon Caves.

Two more boats flow in as the lights increase, and the music flows and you are awestruck through four classical creations. It all comes to a fantastic, thrilling end with a Palma sunset light show. Then you are invited into the boats for a little row across the lake before walking up through the caves with eerie stalagtites and stalagmites sending your imagination into overdrive.

From the time you enter, to climbing the steep walk out you have oohed and aahhed through two kilometres of gobsmacking underground features. This is a must when visiting Majorca.

On the way back to Palma the tour included a visit to a pearl factory. This was interesting because they advertise the pearls as undistinguishable from the real ones. This may be so but we both thought there would be an element of growing something to, over a period of time, create a living something. What a shock we got. Ushered upstairs to a demonstration we saw a lady behind a glass shield; she took a rod in one hand, a long cylinder of glass in the other and put them together in front of a bunsen-burner-type heating device and the glass melted into a ball on the rod and there was the PEARL..... a glass bead in effect. I guess it then got dunked in something and entered the chain of creating a pearl for jewellery. Having said that, the finished products shown in the showroom were, to be honest, fantastic jewellery settings; superb and very expensive. So I now know a Majorcan pearl is stunning, it lustres and shines; it is an authentic Majorcan Pearl but it is not a pearl in the sense of a pearl being a growing thing, a creation which takes time before being manufactured into real pearl jewellery.

A pleasant liqueur experience took the bitter taste of our pearl disappointment out of our mouths. We went from the pearl factory to a super tourist shop and were invited to take a little glass and help ourselves to any of the 15-20 barrels of liqueurs. Heaven on a Sunday morning. I bought a little bottle of Blackberry Schnapps to share around the camp fire over my New Zealand summer break at Christmas and New Year. It will be a fun way to remember a tasty, fun experience on this bus tour.

SOLLER TRAIN AND PORT SOLLERThis was my birthday treat and we did it on our own. Thought a tour would be a bit restricting so we set off on the bus from Magalluf to Palma and I should mention here that the bus system is good. We used the public bus system and found it to be okay: except for day one when a bus came up to the stop and only took on a couple of people so we said to a young couple do you want to share a taxi into Palma: we did and it was quick, shared cost was not too bad and dropped us beside the cathedral. All other bus trips were fine and dandy.Back to Soller Train. We rushed to the Piaca d Espanya in Palma to get a ticket as we wanted to be on the Tourist Train, 10.50am Turistico, because it stops to give to panoramic views over a mountain village. Any of the five trains a day would be okay for the one and a half hour journey, through a 3km tunnel in the vintage carriages of brass fittings and mahogany panels. It really is a fantastic experience and the scenery along the way is beautiful. (Heard it was a bone-crushing experience but it was not too rough at all!)

At Soller you can sit around and enjoy the squares many cafes and restaurants but we took the Orange Express 5-km trip on the tram to Port Soller and along the way we peered into backyards, saw orange groves and animals grazing. It was truly neat. Port Soller is stunning and I took many photos, walking, shopping and for a birthday treat we sat on the waterfront and shared a huge plate of little fish fried in breadcrumbs, accompanied by a fine white wine. Heaven. Turning 59 will be especially memorable for me as the day I did the historic, electric Soller train and relaxed in all the beauty of Port Soller. On the way back the Soller Train broke down and we had a near hour-long wait for another train to bring something up the mountain to get us underway again. Just another travel event which you have to expect when taking in the sights of the world.

INCA MARKETWe did this as a bus tour and were glad we did as the tour guide was exceptionally good in advising us about the area and what to watch out for in the islands biggest market. Held on a Thursday it is huge, taking in many, many streets of stalls with a huge variety of products: leather is big, Majorcan pearls and other jewellery, clothes, food, souvineers and other local craft abound. We were told to be sure to haggle as the stall holders expect it. I saw an African woman on a stall with a tiny little baby: both dressed in traditional gear and they looked just fantastic. I asked the woman how old her baby was, she said four weeks so I asked if I could take a photo of her and her baby - faster than a speeding bullet she said five euros. I told her I was not paying and left miffed that Id missed out on a wonderful photo opportunity.

I did haggle and believe it or not it was for a 3-piece set of Majorcan Pearls (NB...before my factory visit!) I bought at what later turned out to be a very good price when we looked around retail outlets on the island. Inca Market is really well worth going to and I only wished wed had more time there, especially when our next place was Festival Park (Labels type complex) as I thought it not as cheap as they dubbed it to be.

GOLF FANTASIAFun, laughs and two sore knees. Well not usually for the thousands of visitors a week but sadly for me my form was effected by a silly fall half way round the 3-course mini golf game - just when I was winning too. It definitely changed my form and HE beat me in the end. Not even aching knees could mar my absolute delight in playing in this superb park of waterfalls, caves, little streams, ponds, fish and live turtles, chirping budgerigars and truly stunning tropical rainforest in Palma Nova. It is a family attraction and when we were there it was full, people of all ages going for par. Most holes are 2 or 3 par and quite easy but a bit of a challenge when your ball keeps going off the course and spiralling many feet down to the pond below! Twice for me!

OKTOBERFESTWe were really lucky as we were there for the four-day authentic German Oktoberfest at Peugera. We took off on a bus tour and after a bit of a false start we found the little beach-side town and the huge blue and white marquee.What a hoot. The real thing in music, food, beer and lots of German maidens. (Im sure I should have used the German word for maidens but it just escapes me right now!) The scenery on the way out was stunning, hills, seaside vistas, little towns and a good look at Majorcan life, outside the bus window. The beach here was apparently the first man-made beach on Majorca, not obvious on my little stroll around the huts and a female bare-top or two! (As you may have guessed we dont have dress-optional beaches in New Zealand.)

PALMA CATHEDRAL AND LALMUDAINA PALACEWe didnt have time to go into the newer part of Palma so this is a little look at the Cathedral and Old Palma around it and the Almudaina Palace.La Seu (Palma Cathedral) is imposing on the landscape from sea or land. It is really beautiful on the outside and a bit different on the inside. We strolled around saying that it was truly beautiful and a bit different but couldnt really say why. It has a stunning Rose stain-glass window, (apparently one of the worlds biggest - 1236 pieces of glass, its 12 m across) very large, gold statue and crosses, interesting side altars and a Gaudi Crown of Thorns hanging above the altar, but still I am not sure why it is so different. The cloisters are where you can see some of the original implements which were used to construct Palma Cathedral.

Beside the Cathedral and from the exterior it sort of melds in with the cathedral is Palau De LAlmudaina, an impressive royal palace featuring Moorish arches which are best seen from the waterfront. We did the tour and it was amazing how warm this old, stone building was. We peeked into the Arab baths, strolled in the palm courtyard and visited the little Capella de Santa Ana chapel. A museum now, it offers a glimpse into Palmas interesting history: I loved the ancient tapestries and a truly fantastic old clock piece. (I did something I said I would never do here, I took a photo of the clock - disobeying the no photos order. Im not proud as I fully realise the conservation aims which enable such treasures to be best presented for generations to come so I will not do it again!)

We took a stroll into the Old Palma sector and it was just as I had imagined. Narrow streets, stunning windows and doors which are a favourite of mine when site-seeing. Lovely little shops and people sitting around taking in the scene, relaxing and having a chat. Loved the doors on the Basillica de Sant Francesc, liked the little courtyards and saw some neat jewellery shops - if only the credit card was a little more elastic!

Palma looks fantastic from the waterfront and I was keen to do Tony Kellys suggested waterfront walk but time ran out so next time I go Ill do that and the Palma city walk. There is so much to do you should book for at least a couple of weeks and be well prepared before you go.

Majorca statistics: its 100km from east to west and 75km from north to south. It has 555km of coastline and in that area there are 80 beaches. The central plain is divided by the Serra de Tramuntana and Serra de Llevant mountain ranges. Average daily maximum temperatures are around 21.4oC and throughout the year expect an average of seven hours of sunshine.

There was no way you could see all of Majorca in a week, we did something everyday at the expense of sitting around the resort pool and missing most of its entertainment programme: we were in Majorca to see Mallorca (the way Mallorcans live) and we certainly did.

We didnt do any activities centred around the beach or sea activities but for those who are interested in these there are so many operators who are geared up to service this side of your holiday. I guess youd only need to go on a Majorca internet site to see the diverse activities on offer on the island. You would have all you need if you buy the bible I mentioned near the beginning of the review.

Getting there: we flew on a package but you can make use of many cheapies which come up all the time. Some people visit on a day-trip while cruising but for most it will be via Palmas huge and highly efficient airport. It is massive but you can move through it very easily with good signage. It has a truly modern look about it with all the usual shops, relaxing areas, ablutions and plenty of help on hand. (At busy times of the year over 700 flights land here and numbers sometimes total around 100,000 a day... huge figures.) There are plenty of ferries from mainland Spain and other parts of the Mediterranean.

Accommodation: we used the Sol Magalluf Park resort and it was most acceptable (apart from the fact that the reception man was abysmal but after that all went well), there are many resorts of differing tarriffs, hotels and of course there will be self-catering apartments. There are over 200,000 hotel beds and 60,000 apartments so you should be able to book in somewhere.

Getting around: there are hosts of buses, quite modern too, reasonably priced fares and each bus stop has plenty of information about the route and times you could expect a bus, (give and take a little!) Taxis seemed a little expensive if you are going a longer distance but the guide says to ask what the fare is before you get in so there are no surprises when you reach your destination. That applies to anywhere in the world really. Day tours are a most efficient way to see lots of Majorca; it seems most hotel reception areas have dedicated tour desks so you can book with several tour operators who attend them at a given time each day.

We saw some tourist ferry-type boats which apparently take you out on the sea to experience the coast line which is really lovely from the air as you fly in or out. We saw hire/rental car offices so no doubt if you like to drive this is an option. We considered hiring a little scooter for a bit of a whirl but then decided against it - looked out the window one day and saw some much more senior citizens than us arriving back at the hotel on tiny little electric cycles - they were game.

So, if you want sun, sea, history, magnificent scenery, good food, diverse shopping, relaxation, new experiences, then consider a Mediterranean holiday on an island that has it all, and more. When you leave you may well feel like I did . I went to Majorca as a visitor .... I learned, experienced and appreciated this island so much, I moved on - now its definitely Mallorca.

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The place to go for the holiday of your choice

INTRO

It had been 12 years since I last went to Majorca, but having recently returned there for a holiday, I am happy to say that this is still a place that has plenty of charm and remains largely unspoilt away from the rowdy resorts.

MALLORCA

Majorca to the Brits, Mallorca to the residents, only a couple of hours flight time from the UK to the main airport in Palma, this is one of the most popular islands in the Balearic islands. Majorca is the largest of the group measuring approx 100km by 75 km. Not too big, easy to visit a lot of the interesting places if you hire a car for your holiday. There are more than 70 beaches and the coastline stretches for over 500 kms. Impossible to visit them all in a week, so good excuse to go again!

GEOGRAPHY

The terrain of Mallorca comprises of the mountain ranges of Serra de Llevant and Serra de Tramuntana, and in between these is the central plain of flat land. You will see the plains are used for farming, with most of the houses being set high up on the rocky hillsides.

There are castles and caves dotted around the rocky landscape and, wherever you travel throughout the island, you will see perched high up on the distant hills either a castle or a church.

There is something for everyone here on this small island, visited by millions of tourists every year. Not just from the UK, Majorca is also popular with Germans and the Spanish themselves holiday there, many of them having holiday homes on the island.

LANGUAGE

The official languages of Majorca are Catalan and Castilian Spanish. Many of the islanders speak Mallorquin, which is a dialect of Catalan Spanish. However, you will find most of the people in the tourist resorts speak good English, but this is no excuse for you not to learn some Spanish before your holiday! Dont worry if you don't understand the dialect, Spanish should be adequate if you really want to communicate.

CLIMATE

In the south of the island, Palma has an average daily temperature (max) of around 21 degrees, with an average of 7 hours of sunshine all year round. The north is quieter and can get very cold in the winter, the hotels close down from October to May here, but the south remains popular all year.

NATURE

A paradise for twitchers, the mountains of Majorca are home to many birds of prey. You might see ospreys, falcons and if you are very lucky you might see one of the very rare black vultures.

The pine forests around the island smell wonderful, especially the morning after a heavy storm. Amongst the pines you may find wild olive trees, and in Spring there are pretty flowers  orchids, wild peonies - bursting into bloom.

Higher up the hillsides you will find the scrubland, where only heathers, broom and bracken thrive. It is here that you will see dark brown mountain goats scrambling over the rocks, whilst in the lowlands there are fields of scrawny sheep grazing on what little grassland there is.

GETTING AROUND

If you are an avid walker you will find plenty of places in the mountains to pursue your hobby, make sure you take the usual precautions and wear suitable footwear. If a more gentle stroll is more in your line, there are lots of coastal paths to follow, but again make sure you wear suitable footwear as these can be rocky and often slippery.

If you prefer to travel by bus, then do check local timetables carefully. Not all buses run frequently in the less popular areas. Alternatives are to travel by taxi, but again check the fares, or hire a car. Many car hire companies will offer a package of 3 to 4 days at good prices. Not advised is hiring a scooter or moped.

MAIN RESORTS

The main holiday resorts on the island are Palma in the south and Alcudia in the north, both very crowded in the summer months and both popular with Brits.

PALMA NOVA

This is the holiday resort that sprang up several decades ago, along the coastline from the old city of Palma. A good place to go if your idea of a good holiday is lying in the sun on a crowded beach or drinking all day in one of the bars which abound all along the coastline.

In the evenings there is a wide choice of entertainment, from cabaret to karaoke, from bingo to watching sport on tv.

We spent about 45 minutes there, plenty of time to realise this is one place we will not bother going to again!!!

MAGALUF

This is really an extension of Palma Nova and is very popular with the young clubbers, who want to party all night and sleep on the beach in the sun all day.

Most of the major tour operators offer packages to both Palma Nova and Magaluf, there is a large selection of hotels all along the coastline, so you should be able to find something to suit if this is where you want to holiday. However, avoid both these places if you want a quiet relaxing holiday!

PALMA CITY

In sharp contrast to the major tourist resorts mentioned above, visit the old town of Palma and see the beautiful cathedral. Admission is free, but if there is a service on you will not be able to wander around and take in all the wonder of the interior, but you will see some of Gaudis work, candelabra on the columns and the Crown of Thorns suspended above the altar. Photography is not permitted inside the cathedral.

Take an open top bus tour around Palma and get on and off when the bus stops at any place you would like to visit. It takes around one and a half hours to complete the full tour if you dont get off anywhere, but simply listen on the headphones to the commentary, available in several languages.

The bus passes through the town, along the historic streets, passing the marina where the rich have their yachts. You will also see the Castell de Bellver, a unique Spanish castle in that it is entirely round.

A place worth visiting but compared to other European cities, I would only rate it as 5 out of ten. I would like to return at some point and maybe explore a little more as a full day is not really long enough to see it all.

PORTALS NOUS

If you are rich then you can probably afford to stay here, if you are not rich then go just to stare at the amazing harbour where yachts belonging to millionaires are moored. A very "select" part of Majorca! Look in the estate agent windows and there are very few properties for less than a million euros!!!

ALCUDIA

Moving north is another major tourist resort, known as Alcudia to the thousands of visitors.

The old town of Alcudia is a walled city on the site of a Roman settlement, however many Brits holiday in the nearby Port dAlcudia and think this is the same place. It is not, Alcudia town is a quaint place, with narrow streets leading off from the town gates set in the old walls. Relax at one of the many pavement cafes or wander around the interesting remains of this Roman town.

In the resort Port d Alcudia there are good beaches, clean and safe as most of them have lifeguards on duty. You will see the inevitable English Bars offering English breakfast or Sunday roasts, but this resort is much quieter than Palma Nova, a good place for families and those wanting an exciting holiday, but less riotous than Palma Nova or Magaluf.

PUERTO POLLENSA

A few miles along the coast from Alcudia is the resort of Port de Pollenca. This has a more genteel feel about it, a popular resort for the Spanish and foreign visitors preferring a quieter place than the bustling resort of Alcudia. Stroll along the Pine Walk which is an extension of the main square, here the beach leads straight off the pavement. Along the Pine Walk are many apartments, most of them owned by Spanish people, but you might find one or two available to rent. An ideal place to stay if you have children as they can walk straight across the Pine Walk stone pavement onto the beach, traffic free and safe.

There are lots of cafes and restaurants in the resort, a good place to spend a relaxing evening or afternoon gazing out at the marina. Waterports are available and take a few minutes to watch the talents of the artists sculpting models in the sand.

CALA DE SANT VICENTE

Not much here apart from a couple of hotels, two supermarkets, one or two gift shops and three very small sandy bays. Very rugged and not recommended for anyone with a disability or with young children, but the perfect retreat if you want a get away from it all peaceful holiday.

CALLA MILLOR

A busy resort with lots of English pubs where you can spend an afternoon watching the football match! However, its redeeming factor is the beautiful stretch of sandy beach, its huge waves make it a good place for surfing in the sea. A lifeguard keeps watch so dont try anything too adventurous!

Like most of the beaches in Mallorca, this is clean and safe, ideal for those with a family wanting a holiday where there is lots to do.

CALA BONA

Not much to recommend here, it seemed to be full of English pubs and bars and the beach was rocky with sea weed making bathing difficult.

OTHER PLACES WORTH A VISIT

CAP DE FORMENTOR

At the north east tip of the island is the Cap de Formentor. Here the scenery is simply breathtaking, tall cliffs jut into the sea and the drive to reach the lighthouse is scenic but quite scary!!! You travel along cliffside roads, climbing higher and higher along the twisty route. Along the way you can pull in at the Mirador des Colomer, this is a viewpoint where you can scramble up some steep steps and take photographs of the rocky bay beneath you.

Continue along the road to the lighthouse, which you can see on the headland in the distance. However, if you find yourself in a long traffic queue be prepared for a long wait. The car park is very small and apart from good views there is nothing there except the lighthouse and a small café/giftshop and some toilets. Not really worth sitting in a traffic jam for, so be warned because once you get in the queue you will find it difficult to turn round again!

LLUC

This is a wonderful peaceful place, well worth a visit to see the chapel where pilgrims have visited since the 13th century. Surrounding the courtyard near the chapel are the former quarters where the pilgrims used to stay, very quaint with wooden staircase and stables beneath the accommodation. Good parking facilities nearby.

VALLDEMOSSA

This is the site of a monastery and also the place where Frederic Chopin lived for some time with his lover George Sand during the 19th century. A small bustling place, its busy streets packed with tourists, even the monastery is crowded in the holiday season.

Worth a visit if you are in the area, the drive passes through some spectacular scenery and there is a tourist information centre in the main street where you can obtain more information on the area.

DEIA

If you can imagine a huge crater with houses on the sides of its steep slopes, then this will give you an idea of what Deia is like. Its hillsides are a mass of higgledy piggledy brown houses, a haven for artists!

This was the home of Robert Graves and now Michael Douglas has a house there too. Not surprisingly he is not happy about the influx of tourists who pass through the narrow street of the main village.

CALA RAJADA

This is a fishing port on the eastern tip of Mallorca, but it is surrounded by some very good beaches.

On Saturdays there is a huge market where you can buy leather goods, local produce, clothing, linen etc. but be prepared to haggle to get the prices down. Many of the stall holders are quite pushy so if you dont want to be hassled then it is best not to even look at what they have to offer unless it has a price clearly displayed!

SOLLER

This is a bustling town set amongst orange groves between the mountains and the sea. Sit in the main square watching the old tram rattle its way along the streets to the port, or take a ride on it yourself. Alternatively take the tourist train from Palma, much less scary than the hair raising drive along what is said to be the most terrifying drive in the island.

SHOPPING

All around Mallorca you will find the usual tourist tacky souvenirs, but if you venture into some of the factory outlets you might find a bargain.

INCA is the centre of the islands leather industry, there are many shops in the main town selling leather goods, at the end of the season grab a bargain as many of the goods are drastically reduced! For example, a well made suede jacket reduced from over 200 Euros to just 50 Euros was too good to miss! Shoes, sandals, bags, purses, wallets, belts and gloves are all available here. There are some factory shops in and around the town so do check them out too.

PEARLS are another worthwhile souvenir to bring back from your holiday. They are not the real thing, but you can visit the city of MANACOR where you will find the factory of PERLAS MAJORICA, the best known producer of the artifical pearls. They offer a tour of the factory to see how the pearls are made from the scales of fish, and there is also a gift shop where you can buy the finished product.

FOOD AND DRINK

Don't drink the water in your hotel, it is full of minerals and can cause stomach upsets. Buy bottled water, make frequent stops at the numerous cafes and drink their delicious cafe con leche, strong coffee topped with hot milk, or treat yourself to a delicious ice cream sundae filled with fresh fruit.

Numerous restaurants offer a wide selection of traditional foods such as paella, tortilla, fresh fish grilled and served with fresh vegetables. If you prefer English food then you will find this in most of the major resorts.

ACCOMMODATION

All the major tour operators offer anything from 5* hotels to self catering apartments throughout Majorca. You may prefer to take advantage of some of the cheap flights to Palma and book your own accommodation by checking out the many websites offering this.

If you opt for a hotel you may be able to choose bed and breakfast, half board or all inclusive. The last two alternatives can vary in the quality of the food available and you miss out on the fun of eating somewhere different every night. On the other hand, it can save you time in searching for a decent restaurant and it will amost certainly work out cheaper.

SUMMARY

Mallorca is a beautiful island, its contrasting scenery is interesting to say the least and if you want a holiday with lots going off then visit some of the major resorts. On the other hand if it is peace and quiet you want then you will find this too in some of the quieter areas.

The people are friendly, polite and helpful. The drivers dont seem to be in as much of a hurry as they are on mainland Spain (apart from the major towns and motorways) so if you want to take a leisurely drive around, then do hire a car, stopping off at anywhere that takes your fancy and exploring off the beaten track.

Check out the tourist information offices for leaflets on places worth visiting and take time to explore the quaint villages off the beaten track.

Bring back a few souvenirs, turron is a local delicacy and bottles of Soberano brandy from Jerez are good too.Above all, enjoy this lovely island.

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going to magaluf...

hi we are 2 very sexy 25 year old going to magaiuf in june just wanted to know what it like there... as never been ... we are thiking of staying at the gabarda , gabarda gil does or as any one stay there is it clean .... and what it like there and did you get any sleep at night... as we like a good night out we like our sleep to .... and is they any sexy young lads out there then ???? can you tell me please ..... thanks debbie and michele.....

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A holiday is whatever you make it.

Many years ago, I used to live on the Island of Mallorca. My base was just outside Palma, and I grew to love the island and the people there very much, with their warm Spanish mentality, and welcoming ways. I found the people of Palma a little different from Spaniards on the mainland, but the roots seem similar and the language although spoken with a different accent, was a breath of fresh air to me.

Let's start in Palma, the closest town to where I lived. The skyline of the old town of Palma is dominated by the outline of the cathedral, a beautiful building. Amidst the excitement generated by a town that is alive with the noise of frantic traffic, there is kind of a lull when you visit the old town. You are drawn to the architecture of the buildings, the diversity of styles. The Almudaina Building faces a park where you can sit and soak in the history and the vibrance all in one go. The towers and balconies take you back to a time that has now disappeared, though a time when architecture was at its best, stone buildings with ramparts that reach up to blue skies.

At the entry of the park is an impressive archway which leads up steps to a fountain and pond which is a little like you would find in England, though the warmth on your face tells you that you are far away. There are statues and sculptures and within a short walk, you have the sea front and cathedral, terraced walks that lead you along the shoreline and the Parc de la Mer (or sea park) which is splendid and houses a huge lake.

What I like about Palma is the surprises that you find just by ambling through the streets and looking at what the city has to offer, taking part in life there just by being there, rather than being an outsider or "tourist".

Much of Mallorca is like this, the undiscovered path is always the best one, rather than the tourist traps. Taking a bus from one end of the island to the other, mingling with the locals, eating in their local bars give you a taste of an ambiance that no other place seems to give you. Their laid back ways are easy to fall into and this little Island off the coast of Spain has a lot more to offer the traveller than beaches, booze and discos.

Visiting La Granja can be an exhilerating experience. I have been there many times, although each time seems to have its own stories. The Granja estate dates back to Roman times and is a living monument of how life was in this part of the world before the word tourist was popular. There is so much to take in about how people lived in those days, and the tools of their everyday lives.

Sa Calobra is well worth a visit, and here the sea lies as a backdrop to beautiful and breathtaking rock formations and sand that is as white as you may see on tropical islands.

I visited Lluc Monastery because I wanted to feel the atmosphere in which the Monks live and work. You can stay near the monastery overnight for as little as £15 and I did because what I was seeking was peace, what I found was just that. 500 metres above sea level, pilgrims come here from all over the world to leave prayers with the dark Madonna, although my prayers were between me and whoever was listening.

In another area of Mallorca called Bunyola, I saw the most amazing sunset that I have ever seen in my life. This is a wooded area for recreation, and you can see for miles and miles over lush green landscape towards the sea.

The choice of trips to Mallorca are vast and on the internet you can easily find flights into Palma and from their make your own reservations, and book into the Tourist Office in Palma to pick up information of buses, transport, and areas that may interest you, so that you can book accommodation in advance and make the most of your holiday. Sticking to package holidays actually puts you at a disadvantage because you are then based in one hotel and tend only to see one part of what is a beautiful Island and which remains undiscovered by the tourist simply because they stay in their hotel and do not look beyond the facade that is put there for the tourist.

For the more adventurous traveller, there is a boat to Palma from Barcelona which was the route I took. I paid cheaply because I chose to have just a reclining seat and found the whole trip comfortable.

Car hire, motor cycle hire and bike hire are also available for the adventurous, although I find by using public transport, you get nearer to the Mallorca that the locals know and love.

Rachel

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+++ Santa Ponsa June 2004 +++ Well folks, if you aren?t going on holidays this year I?d suggest you maybe look away from this review right now! I mean, it?s just that I really don?t want to make you jealous. I?m sitting here at my computer with a sunkissed glow, golden brown arms and legs, just back two days ago from Majorca and I?m sorry to rub this in, but I had a lovely time! So let me set the scene and tell you about how I came to be on the island, because as nothing in my life is ever simple, you can be sure I have a story to tell! +++ Thursday 3rd June 2004 +++ Having saved for weeks and told everyone how excited I was to be going on holidays, my boyfriend and I left my home at 5am to go to Belfast International Airport for our flight to Amsterdam. (Bear with me? I am on the correct review, I was supposed to be going there!) However Air-Traffic Control in England somewhere had different ideas. After a two-hour delay, EasyJet informed us that our flight was cancelled. I was so very disappointed and felt that their offer of another flight on Sunday wasn?t good enough so we went home to see what we could arrange. At this stage, after a huge row with EasyJet regarding their poor customer service, I walked out of the airport in tears. Two hours later, after arriving back in County Fermanagh, boyf and I paid a visit to ?Erne Travel? in Enniskillen, who had a last minute deal to Santa Ponsa for just over £150 each. The accommodation was to be 2* and the flights would be leaving on Saturday. To be honest we weren?t over excited, as we were still disappointed about not getting away that morning, but the deal was good so we took it, and packed our cases! +++ Saturday 5th June 2004 +++ Flying directly from Belfast International Airport to Palma on the island of Mallorca takes 2hrs 50 mins (according to the sheet we were shown- but I felt it was less.) The airline was ?Spanair? and the stewardess? were lovely. The ch eck-in staff was very friendly, although slow, but this was because they were very thorough about weight limits, and liked to tell each customer about their journey. I felt relaxed and optimistic about the holiday as we wandered to the departure lounge. We were ushered into the gates half an hour before we were due to fly, and as the hostess greeted us on the plane we were seated quickly in the plane. The Spanair plane had a formation of 2 seats at one side and 3 on the other, so any party could be seated together with no problems. The flight was smooth and as it was the middle of the night there really wasn?t much to see out the window. An hour into the flight we were served a surprisingly nice Spanish omelette. At 3am we landed in a rather chilly Palma, very tired, but happy to be there and thankful for a trouble free flight. After a horrendous 45 minute wait for the luggage to arrive, (Palma airport is huge- we were bussed from the plane to the centre, it is so big.) We met our Panorama Rep who guided us to the coach and dropped the parties at their hotels in the Palmanova/ Magaluf/ Santa Ponsa area of Mallorca. By 6am everyone was in bed. We were dropped at the ?Hotel Bon Repos? which is just beside the beach and although we expected a dodgy enough hotel when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised. We could not have asked for more- clean, spacious rooms, great view from the balcony and very lovely staff. +++ Sunday 6th June 2004 +++ After 2 hours sleep, boyf and I made our way for breakfast. Delicious English breakfast. We discovered it was mostly other Irish folks staying in our hotel, with a few English families. There were no other people there! No Germans, no French, No Dutch? Just us! After breakfast we hit the sun beds for a quick snooze and at around 11 we decided we should explore our new surroundings. At this time it was around 27 degrees. A very big temperature difference from Belfast! We wandered down to the front of the beach and walked along the sand. The water was amazingly blue, and the sand was boiling hot, and almost white in colour. Everything was beautiful. We were gobsmacked. A quick wander around the sea front, noting the different restaurants and gift shops full of the tackiest things you could imagine and we decided it was a bit too hot to stay outdoors so we went back to the hotel were our rep was explaining all the day trips. Since we weren?t the typical Santa Ponsa guest (most were young families) the day-trips weren?t that interesting for us? Waterparks, dragon caves and kid?s shows. There was one thing that ticked our fancy- an adult stage show called ?Pirates Adventure?, which was 42 Euro and based a short drive away in Magaluf. That was held on Monday night and the hotel ordered us a taxi. The rest of the day we spent wandering about in an aimless daze, not taking much in; and wondering if this was really the holiday for us. We grabbed a 6 Euro pizza from a seaside pizzeria, it was delicious. But in reality Boyf and I like to have plenty to see and do, and culture to explore. Santa Ponsa doesn?t really offer much of this. It?s like Portrush in hot weather; everything is flamboyant, tacky and fake. But I suppose a lot of fun in a way! +++ Monday 7th June 2004 +++ After a lazy day reading novels on the beach, boyf and I went back to our hotel to get showered and changed for our journey to Pirate?s adventure in Magaluf. We had not eaten a meal that day, as for our 42E we were getting a full meal and unlimited Sangria at the show. Gail (lovely woman from the midlands, just like another Barbara Windsor!) was working on reception and sorted us with a taxi. The journey from Santa Ponsa to Magaluf cost 7E and the queue outside the show was massive! We weren?t expecting anything like it. After a fifteen-minute wait we were led to our seats which were like picnic benches to seat 8. We were sat with a couple from Liverpool, another Irish c ouple and two girls from Manchester, and supplied with swords and pirate bandannas. Pirates is an acrobatic/ dancing/ pantomime, where each part of the arena is given their own pirate to support in the story, as the characters skip using humans as skipping ropes, dance with fire, and perform mind-boggling stunts as part of the tale. By the time you?ve left the building you?re hoarse screaming at the baddies and supporting your pirate. Dancing on the tables due to the unlimited sangria. I left the building on a complete adrenaline high that night; I?d love to write a full review on the show, as soon as it gets added to the site. We grabbed a taxi back to Santa Ponsa with ease after saying goodbye to our new friends, and collapsed in a drunken stupor on our bed. (He was slightly more intoxicated than I would have liked and snored all night!) +++ Tuesday 8th June 2004 +++ Hungover, we missed breakfast in the morning, so after sitting on the balcony we felt brave enough to tackle a Burger King at 1. Burger King was at the end of the street, and we thought that was all of Santa Ponsa covered. We spent the day wandering around wondering why people kept coming here, after all there was only a few shops and restaurants and lots and lots of apartments. How dull. After a boring day we went back to the hotel, grabbed a few drinks in the bar, and wished we were in Amsterdam. +++ Wednesday 9th June 2004 +++ Bored to tears walking the same strip of beach, boyf and I wandered up a few alleys and streets, wondering where on earth Santa Ponsa Square was. At this stage we wanted to go home. But after walking into what we thought was a sports shop, and coming out another door, we found ourselves in another street. A street we had not been on before. A street lined with stores, restaurants. We had finally found Santa Ponsa! We felt like a right pair of wallies! Here we ate a three course Chinese meal for 6E which was scrumptious, and we wand ered around lovely shops such as ?Lacoste? as well as your general junk shops. As darkness fell the streets turned lively and PR people pulled us into bars with promises of free shots and two for one offers. We settled in a bar called ?Daniel?s Corner? which had very good offers and friendly staff. Finally the holiday had turned around; we had a great time that night. +++ Thursday 10th June 2004 +++ Delighted with the way our holiday was going we lounged in the sun for a while, then at 6 we got ready to hit the town. In the main part of Santa Ponsa we found a small restaurant with the tables at the waterfront. Here we had another delicious Chinese meal. After this we took a few bars up on their offers as we wandered about the street. My darling boyfriend purchased a set of Bongos after much haggling with a street trader, and we settled in an Irish bar called ?Dicey Rileys.? If you?re Irish and in Santa Ponsa, I thoroughly recommend this bar. A band called ?the twins? played a great set and a fantastic night of singing and banging on the table was had by all. Good wholesome fun. +++ Friday 11th June 2004 +++ With the holiday coming to an end we set out to buy a few presents for our kin. I was able to buy a cart of cigarettes for my father (even though I hate him smoking!) for 24E and haggled a street trader to 10E for a gorgeous bracelet for my mum. Boyfriend, being boyfriend went for rude presents for his family, a penis shaped lollipop for his mum and a Kama sutra bottle opener for his dad. I?ve been informed that they loved them! Although the shops in Santa Ponsa are tacky, if you shop with a sense of humour, then you?ll find something for everyone. At 3 o?clock we boarded a Catamaran to get a short journey around the coast. The journey was lovely and the views breath-taking. As the bottom was glass we were able to go downstairs to view the fish swimming around outside. At a further point in the trip we were allowed off to swim, and were given a photo to remember our day on the boat. It was back to Dicey Riley?s that night and then home to bed as sober as possible to get up early to pack for our journey home. +++ Saturday 12th June 2004 +++ The hotel needed us to check out at 12, but as we weren?t leaving until 6 that evening they provided us with secure holdings for our luggage and shower facilities. We spent the day on a Pedallo at the beach. The view was terrific, and it cost 9E for the hours, but unfortunately going home was on our minds. At 6 the coach arrived to take us to Palma airport and again check-in was slow, but thorough. It took us 20 minutes to reach our boarding gate, as the airport is gigantic and very busy. Our flight was ½ hour late and people were quite agitated by the time of boarding. But eventually we were safely onboard ready for a long boring flight. About 15 minutes into the flight we hit mild turbulence, but children were quite scared and the hostesses did a great job in pacifying them. Other than that the flight was smooth and trouble free. Thankfully we arrived in Belfast safe, and were informed that in was 11 degrees at the time of landing. A huge difference from the 27-29 degrees we had experienced all week! +++ My Final Say +++ SantaPonsa was a very pretty place to be, but unless you want to visit a town where you?ll find more British people than natives, I?d avoid it. For families with young children, it is the ideal holiday location, but it will be quite sometime before I go back. We had a lovely time, and the people were very friendly and welcoming, and a lot of fun, but I like to see culture when I go away? fine architecture and sights. Santa Ponsa doesn?t have this, but it does have a lot of sun, and a lot of smiley happy people. Make up your own mind!

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My only review today as this bugger took ages, Here my experiance of my holiday last year. Barcelo Palma Nova Aparthotel - Magaluf/Palma Nova We arrived at the hotel not really knowing what to expect but we were very pleasantly surprised by the reception. Unfortunatley the bloke sent us the wrong way and we faffed around for 30 minutes trying to find our room (it was on the other side) before going back to reception and being told it was the other way. Our room was 306, on the bottom floor and was 1 bedroom. It was quite nice, not as nice as reception, and fairly basic but nothing horrible. As the holiday went on we found out that the room was actually well-positioned because although the balcony looked out onto the road, there wasn't too much traffic and was fairly quiet on the whole. The front door and bedroom window faced a supporting wall for the swimming pool area and that meant that there was a lot of noise from screaming children at 8am!!! So I ended up sleeping in the living area, while my friend put up with the racket. Security-wise the room wasn't too bad; the bedroom window had thick slats across it so no-one could break in. The front door could be double-locked for extra secuairty and the key left in the lock on the inside at night so no-one could get in, even with a key (as the cleaners found out, hahaha). The balcony door was extremely suspect though! Just a flimsy flip-over latch, nothing more. There was a safety deposit box in the wardrobe in the bedroom which could be rented but we put all of our spare money etc into one of our suitcases and padlocked it. Not terribly safe, but at least it was something. Passports are kept at reception so you don't have to worry about them. We didn't hear of a single theft or attack or anything like that the whole time we were there. The hotel entertainment was excellent, the staff gave 100% and there were games and shows in the evenings for the adu lts as well as the children. Things usually finished between 11-11.30pm, with music till midnight. The entertainers try so hard to get everyone involved and it really depends on what the other people staying at the hotel are like as to how it all goes. We were lucky; there were some fantastic people staying at the same time as us and together with the entertainers they really made our holiday. There were all sorts of activities during the day but we did not join in; we went to the beach. The beach was extremely clean and the sea was beautiful. There are sectioned-off areas meant for swimming only, and then other areas for pedalos and so on. The sea is extremely salty so it is very easy to float and I regularly swam out to the far edge of the sectioned-off area and felt fine (I am not a confident swimmer). You have to go down over 100 steps to get to the beach but it is worth it. If you walk further down the hill and follow the signs you will find a slope down to the beach if you have got a buggy. Also it is kinder to the legs to go back up that way!! Sun loungers are e2.50 each per day and the parasols are another e2.50. Quite expensive, particularly if you do not want a parasol. My advice is get there before 10.30am and you should be able to claim loungers without a parasol and save a bit of money. One day we were too late and tried dragging the loungers away from the parasol, but they still wanted to charge us for it. We partied hard for the first week (went to tons of bars, can't remember names because there were so many, clubs: but then discovered the laughs we could have just by going to the hotel entertainment (and it's free!!) so that's what we ended up enjoying the most. The bar is ridiculously expensive; something like nearly e4 for one cocktail! e5 or so for two spirit and mixers wasn't so bad but it all adds up. We got wise to it though and bought a bottle of vodka and a bottle of coke from the S par, got two glasses from the bar and we were well away! We sound like real cheapskates I know but it does all get a bit much. We went self-catering but ate in the hotel a few times. It wasn't bad, about £5 each for a buffet and desert (take your own drinks again). The staff barely spoke English so they wouldn't even know how to tell us that we were not supposed to bring in our own drinks!! The other thing is they clear away your plates literally as you have taken your last mouthful, let alone swallowed and put your cutlery down! They stand right by your table, watching your every move and then swoop! If that happens and you want to go up for more, just help yourself to a clean plate! You literally can go up as many times as you like, until it closes at 9pm. The food was reasonable, although my friend did get poorly from the pork kebabs on Barbecue night (Wed). I played safe and did not touch any meat. We also ate at Florida II, the restaurant just down the road. It was very nice, the food was reasonably priced and the waiters were sweet. You get good-sized portions and there is an extensive menu. It is obviously a bonus with it being close by. And they give you lollipops with your bill! I am considering opening a ChuppaChupp shop with the amount I brought home!! We occasionally ate at the cafe thingy directly across the road. It was cheap and they wrap things in foil (they seem to have an obsession with foil in Majorca) so they keep warm if you want to take them back to your room. We had the pizza baguette, cheese & ham toastie and chips, all very nice. The 'cleaners' came very regularly and changed the towels and gave us plenty of toilet paper but I don't think they have yet understood the concept of sweeping the floors - they would be worse AFTER the cleaners had been! The best part is the nightlife the first week going out in 12hour sessions 6 till 6 thats if you can cope with the reps trying to drag you in every pub, There night clubs are the best with BCM once been the biggest in europe, there is alway a top uk dj there and for 15 euros you can drink as much as you like. Bar street is as it says full of bars with most pubs offering 2 4 1 if you are in large group. Everyone is usually pist so its nailed on that you get laid which is the main point of the holiday, but heres a tip dont get cought doing it on the beach as i did, by there armed guard. All in all we had a fantastic time and I would highly recommend it, there is something for everyone.

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In Majorca's hottest June/July for 138 years I visited Cala Millor on the east coast of the island for a fortnight spreading across those two months. In this review I have tried my utmost best to include restaurants, bars, accommodation, beaches, places of interest etc. etc. You must note that going to Majorca this summer is extremely dangerous for your health as the sun is constantly shining, the temperature on Thursday / Friday July 10/11 reached highs of 41 degrees Celsius, I RECOMMEND YOU TO TAKE AT LEAST FACTOR 15 SUN TAN LOTION TO REDUCE THE RISK OF SUNBURN OR EVEN SKIN CANCER! Now... back to the resort, here is a little insight given in the Thomson Summer Sun 2003 brochure, let's see what's true, and what isn't: 'Cala Millor, linked to the old village of Cala Bona by a promenade, is a more modern and exciting resort, it has more shops, busier bars and restaurants.' Cala Bona must be very boring then! True the fact that Cala Millor is linked to Cala Bona by a promenade, it's too hot to walk up the promenade because many people have been known to pass out on the promenade because of the heat in the last few weeks. Cala Millor is modern, but certainly NOT exciting, it is suited best for families with young children, there are TWO good bars there, which I will come to later, and it has plenty of shops, none of which are ever open! Those which are sell the same things! and don't get me started with busier bars and restaurants... the ONLY reason it has busier bars is because there?s only two good ones there, all the others close early! So don't listen to Thomson when they tell you these lies! Despite that it is a reasonably nice resort. It is situated on the east coast of the island, closer to the north than south but mainly centrally situated. It is approximately 1hour and 10minutes from Palma de Mallorca (Son San Juan) International Airport, and boasts plenty of hotels and apartments. The h otels people were recommending to me, and the ones which I found to look the nicest are mostly Thomson hotels, as they are the main company who offer Cala Millor holidays. We stayed at the Apartments Atalaya (3*), they were nice for 3* apartments, very clean, it offered kind, helpful staff (if you are not disabled from what I heard!). I would recommend them to families, but if there is more than 2 of you do not take the one bedroom apartment option, and don't go self catering!! Other nice hotels in the area were the Hotel Veronica (3*), Bahia del Este (4*), Hipocampo Park (5*), Levante Park (4*), and the apartments, Apartments Atalaya (3*), Bahia Grande (3*), and finally the Aparthotel Bonaire (4*). There are other hotels and apartments available through JMC, Thomas Cook, Iberoservice, MyTravel, Alltours Flugreisen, and Neckermann. The resort is mainly family based, it offers a Blue Flag Beach, which means it has won a blue flag award for high standards, however, I didn't find it to be that clean, and on top of paying 1 euro per day to stay in Majorca, you have to pay 3 euros per 6 hours to hire sun beds!!! So I left the beach and went to the pool instead! There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the area, I would strongly recommend many of them, there?s the restaurant Coloseum, which serves a killer Cream of Mushroom Soup and Garlic Chicken. Nou Candil is and excellent restaurant situated on the main street at the bottom of the resort. Then the Rose & Crown Bar & Restaurant, who serve excellent meals, from salads to ½ roast chicken and chips!! There is also a great variety of other restaurants in the area, and you could also take a short stroll up to Cala Bona where there is also and excellent serving of restaurants. Earlier I mentioned that there were 2 good bars in the area, they are situated in the middle of the resort. There?s the Bar British Bulldog, which has excellent staff, fantastic family surroundings, a fun evenin g out for everyone with bingo, quizzes, and karaoke! A night not to be missed!!! And secondly there is the Rose and Crown, which offers excellent food, dead in the center of the resort, with karaoke in the night! PLEASE NOTE? due to the noise curfew in Majorca; all bars need to keep music indoors after 12 MIDNIGHT!!! They remain open and you can still sit outside and enjoy the peace but they have to keep noise inside! This I do not agree to and considering you pay 1 euro per day per person to stay there and enjoy yourselves, this is not acceptable! Then there?s the highly recommended ?Q Club? and ?Magic Club? which I did not dare try! There are plenty of tours and excursions available through your holiday companies to visit places of interest in the area, but you can also rent a car from Avis, situated opposite the Atalaya, or arrange with your holiday company to rent a car. Many people recommend the Cuevas del Drach in Porto Cristo, this, I found, was boring! You walk around for about 25 minutes looking at nothing, and then it takes them 30 minutes to get you sat down to watch a 5 minute opera, where there is a woman and a small orchestra in two rowing boats performing rubbish to you! NOT recommended! The western water park, Marineland, Shopping in Palma, a day in Ca?n Pastilla, near Palma Airport and much, much more! There is plenty for all the family to do in Majorca, whether it?s laze in the sun, or go on adventures! All are catered for. Now, from the Thomson health & safety first brochure, here are some tips of do?s and don?ts! ***On arrival at your hotel, ensure you know where all the fire exits are situated how to get to them in an emergency! ***It is not recommended that you rent motorbikes or mopeds, the drivers? attitude towards these are filthy and they are VERY unsafe! ***If you rent a car ensure that you take great care and safety on the roads. In my final week in Majorca there were no more, no less than 6 r oad deaths! In one week! ***When the sun is shining all glass doors and windows can not appear to the eye. Therefore Thomson and I recommend that you should report any windows that have no stickers on them to your representative immediately. So, that is all from me! I would recommend Cala Millor to the quiet person or family, if you are a raving lunatic, mad person, or looking for a more active time, I would recommend Magalluf or Alcudia! So, enjoy yourself!

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by jessyclown on 01.02.2002 at 22:57 I see you are new to dooyoo. I hope you enjoy reading and writing opinions. If have a good look at some of the better opinions you will see what people give good ratings for. If you read and rate other people's opinions they may read and rate yours thats what it is all about! by Gwenick on 01.02.2002 at 23:01 Here's a tip. Spend more time on each opinion. Only post one a day (at most) and read and rate other people opinions. You'll get more read (and therefore more money) that way. As it is you are doing what is known as 'churning' - and people won't read you at all! Gwen by MALU on 01.02.2002 at 23:42 That's right! One look at the number of your ops and I stay away. Malu Comments on the opinion by KingHerrod on 02.02.2002 at 10:58 Hi and welcome to the site, I see you submitted 20 reviews on your first day. Take it from me that will not make you any money and most of the reviews probably will not help consumers a great deal either. My best advice to you is to have a peek at the community page, at the premier reviews and the advice to new members. Have a read around the site and have fun, but by posting a large number of reviews straight away, you may get yourself a bad name. I noticed nobody had rated this review yet. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me, the address is on my profile page, just click on my name. by MonsterSpice on 01.02.2002 at 23:34 Please stop churning and why did you rate my last opinion SU when everyone else did VU spite I think and I have sent a note to dooyoo about it. You are knocking all the serious members out of the latest list and ruining the enjoyment for others. Mark Thanks, you are all so kind. Goodbye.